Our Story

The Name 2Plank

The name 2Plank Vineyards pays homage to the early snow skiers that pioneered the sport called “2Plankers”. 2Plankers would strap toboggans to their feet and bomb down icy hills. Being avid snow skiers our whole lives, we combined our love for the sport and passion for wine into an artisan winery and vineyard, aptly named 2Plank Vineyards.

The Vineyard

The estate vineyard was planted in Fallbrook after much debate and research over the vineyard's location. The decision to plant here was based on the unique growing climate and soil profile in Fallbrook. The dark, red volcanic soils are similar to the famous terra rossa of the Coonawarra region in Australia. Planted at an average elevation of 1100 feet, the vineyard is situated near the Santa Margarita River gap, which provides the daily maritime breezes necessary for slow fruit maturation. This allows the grapes to develop the optimum fruit, acid, and tannin structure necessary to make the highest quality wines. We feel that you can taste the terroir of our Red Mountain vineyard in every bottle.

The Red Mountain can definitely be defined as extreme farming. The topography includes a 15-20% grade and large quantities of volcanic rock, make it impossible to farm with machines, so every square foot of our vineyard is hand-farmed. This harsh topography also tames the vines, stressing them, pressuring them to send down roots deep into the rocky, fractured substrata. The end result is lower yields of fruit per acre, but the grapes that are harvested are concentrated with flavor. We also favor sustainable farming practices such as hand cultivating and avoiding use of pesticides.

Winemaking

All 2Plank wine ferments in small lots to extract optimum flavor and color, then ages in oak for 12-18 months. We try to intervene as little as possible in the wine aging process. We'd rather let the quality fruit shine through. This old-world approach coupled with our new world fruit, produces wines that are ready to drink right out of the gate, but can easily be laid down for years, to enjoy later on. Our wines are both food friendly and great for sipping.

Our Winemaker

Barrett Hill

Barrett Hill was born and raised in Reno, NV; which makes him an ideal fit for the 2Plank family, having been taught how to ski on the slopes of Mammoth and Lake Tahoe his entire life. He moved to Los Angeles in 2006 for his acting degree and career- and it was there, that he found his second love... wine. Barrett started working and soon after started managing Los Angeles’ number one wine bar, V Wine Room. V is a specialty bar that caters to boutique wineries from all over California. It was this niche that really honed in Barrett's finer sensory skills and eventually lead him to pursue and complete his level one Sommelier certification. But to be a Somm was not for Barrett, "I'd rather be the artist, not the critic" he says. And so, he started venturing into the vintner’s side of the industry. In 2015, Barrett worked his first harvest in Santa Barbara County and quickly fell in love with the craft. He learned to make wine from Josh Klapper of Timbre Winery and Brave & Maiden Estate, Clarissa Nagy of Riverbench Winery, and Tessa Marie from Fess Parker. In 2016, Barrett was hired to be the assistant winemaker for Bryan Kane of Sol Rouge and the Winery SF in Northern California. Barrett was particularly interested in working with Kane because of his natural fermentation methods and the chance to work with the pristine fruit from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Lake County. In 2017 Barrett returned to Santa Barbara County, and continued to be trained and polished by Josh Klapper as his assistant winemaker and he also started own personal wine production. In 2018 on a random visit to San Diego, Barrett found a job opportunity to become the head winemaker for a boutique winery, 2Plank Vineyards. It was a no brainer for him. "Where else do you get to live in a major city as awesome as San Diego and still be able to make great wine!?" he exclaims. Barrett is very excited to continue making wine and to be a part of the creative team at 2Plank.

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Jason Wimp

Jason comes from a humble farming town in the central valley. After receiving his BA from San Diego State and his MBA from University of San Diego, Jason established a technology company next door to the original winery in Sorrento Valley. When he’s not traveling around the world and closing big deals, he’s modestly making wine, operating the business and interacting with customers in the tasting room. Jason is an invaluable component of the company because of his extensive knowledge of the agriculture business and his entrepreneurial spirit.

Dominic Criscenti

Dominic has been a vital component of 2Plank Vineyards and also a great friend of the family's. He grew up in the central valley and received a Masters Degree in Agricultural Science from Fresno State. He assists in all winemaking operations at 2Plank, pours wine in the tasting room and even acts as the winery's handy man and safety officer. In 2016 he helped everyday of harvest and made it the most fun harvest to date!